Device for cleaning and circulating a liquid

Abstract

A device for cleaning and circulating a liquid includes a one-piece plastic body having a strainer housing portion for receiving raw liquid which is to be cleaned, a filter housing portion from which cleaned liquid is to be discharged, and a pump housing portion for housing a pump and formed with a pressure outlet communicating with the filter housing portion and through which pumped liquid is delivered to the filter housing portion to be filtered therein. This pump housing portion is also formed with a suction inlet for delivering liquid to a pump housed by said pump housing portion to be pumped thereby to the pressure outlet. The filter housing portion is formed with a passage communicating on the one hand with the suction inlet and on the other hand with the strainer housing portion, so that raw liquid received in the strainer housing portion will flow therefrom through this passage to the suction inlet.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a device for circulating and cleaning a liquid, a one-piece plastic body which substantially in its entirety is in the form of a unitary wall structure incapable of being disassembled into subsidiary components, said body having a strainer housing portion for receiving raw liquid which is to be cleaned, a filter housing portion from which cleaned liquid is to be discharged, and a pump housing portion for housing a pump and formed with a pressure outlet communicating with said filter housing portion and through which pumped liquid is delivered to said filter housing portion to be filtered therein, said pump housing portion also being formed with a suction inlet for delivering liquid to a pump housed by said pump housing portion to be pumped thereby to said pressure outlet, said filter housing portion being formed with a passage communicating on the one hand with said suction inlet and on the other hand with said strainer housing portion so that raw liquid received in said strainer housing portion will flow therefrom through said passage to said suction inlet. 
     
     
       2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said strainer housing portion is formed with an inlet for raw liquid. 
     
     
       3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a filter means is situated in said filter housing portion for filtering liquid delivered thereto, closure means for closing said filter housing portion, and connecting means releasably connecting said closure means with said filter housing portion. 
     
     
       4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said filter means includes a plurality of filter cartridges. 
     
     
       5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein a cartridge-carrying plate carries said filter cartridges of said filter means and extends across said filter housing portion for dividing the latter into a lower filter chamber situated beneath said plate and an upper clean-liquid chamber situated over said plate and beneath said closure means, and said filter housing portion being formed with a clean-liquid outlet communicating with said clean-liquid chamber over said plate. 
     
     
       6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said closure means includes an upper wall and a side wall extending downwardly from said upper wall and terminating in a lower edge engaging said cartridge-carrying plate and defining therewith the clean-liquid chamber which is situated within said filter housing portion, said side wall being formed with an opening through which liquid flows from said clean-liquid chamber to said clean-liquid outlet of said filter housing portion. 
     
     
       7. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said clean-liquid outlet of said filter housing portion is situated beneath said upper wall of said closure means and said opening in said side wall of said closure means being aligned with said clean-liquid outlet of said filter housing portion. 
     
     
       8. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said pressure outlet of said pump housing portion is formed in a wall of said body which is common to said pump housing portion and filter housing portion. 
     
     
       9. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said passage communicates with said strainer-housing portion at a wall portion of said body which is common to said strainer-housing portion and said filter housing portion. 
     
     
       10. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said filter housing portion has a bottom wall formed by part of said one-piece plastic body, and said passage extending along said bottom wall. 
     
     
       11. The combination of claim 10 and wherein said filter housing portion has a pair of diametrically opposed wall portions forming part of said filter housing portion and respectively situated at opposed ends of said passage where the latter respectively communicates with said strainer-housing portion and with said suction inlet of said pump housing portion, said pressure outlet being formed in the same wall portion as said suction inlet and being situated at an elevation higher than said suction inlet at a part of said one-piece plastic body which is common to said pump housing portion and said filter housing portion. 
     
     
       12. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said strainer housing portion has an open top, cover means covering said open top of said strainer housing portion, and a strainer basket situated in said strainer housing portion through which the raw liquid flows before reaching said passage, so that access to said basket is had upon removal of said cover means from said open top and said strainer housing portion. 
     
     
       13. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a pump means extends into said pump housing portion for pumping liquid from said suction inlet to said pressure outlet, said pump means consisting at all parts which contact liquid travelling from said suction inlet to said pressure outlet only of non-corrodable materials. 
     
     
       14. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a filter means is situated in said filter housing portion and forms in said filter housing portion a filter cake which builds in said filter housing portion and through which liquid is filtered. 
     
     
       15. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said strainer housing portion has a bottom wall which is fixed to the remainder of said one-piece plastic body. 
     
     
       16. The combination of claim 11 and wherein a pump means extends into said pump housing portion for pumping liquid from said suction inlet to said pressure outlet, and said pump means having a horizontal axis passing through the center of said suction inlet and coinciding with a central axis of said passage which extends along said bottom wall of said filter housing portion.